R&A One Shots
by margeyadis
Summary: Rose Ivashkov (née Hathaway) is the guardian and wife of Moroi royal, Adrian Ivashkov. This is their story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: For those of you who already know, I've had this story up before, but deleted it because I hit writer's block. But now I'm somewhat able to continue. I'll probably hit writer's block again (like I always do), but this time, I will keep this story up.**

 **It's not really a story, more like one shots about Rose and Adrian's life (because they're my favourite couple although I still love Romitri), inspired by another series of one shots called One Shots: Roza Belikova and Dimitri Belikov by Piaviolina1313 (but I'm sure most of you already know that since this story has been up before). Let me just clarify since I know you'll probably get confused. These one shots are in chronological order but they don't follow a specific storyline (like with One Shots: Roza Belikova and Dimitri Belikov) and there will somewhat be a huge time skip between them. I know I'll probably get a lot of criticism for this but that's how it's going to be. And I know it'll probably be boring, but please give it a chance.**

 **I do not have a Beta reader, so any mistakes that you see are my own.**

 **Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy and all its characters.**

 **P.S.: If you're following my Twilight story, New Beginnings, it's now on PERMANENT HIATUS. My apologies. I will get to it eventually.**

* * *

 **Rose POV**

I've been pacing back and forth in the middle of my dorm room for the past twenty minutes, biting my thumbnail in worry. This just can't be happening. I struggled to contain the ball of anxiety that was building up in the pit of my stomach. I heard hurried footsteps down the hallway and towards my door.

Although expected, I still jumped when Adrian burst through the door.

"I got your text," he says, out of breath. "Everything okay?" His normally perfect hair was muddled and out of place. Clearly he had wasted no time getting here.

My voice catches in my throat as I stand frozen in place. Adrian steps forward and pulls me into a tight embrace. "What's wrong, Little Dhampir?" he asks, his voice muffled in my hair. He was caressing my arm with his pale but warm fingers.

"Can you let go of me first? You're squeezing me too tight," I say, my voice stifled from being pressed up against his hard chest. He chuckles and releases me. I catch my breath before continuing.

"I think you should sit down." I gesture to the small couch in the corner of my room. Adrian is reluctant at first but obeys and goes over to it, slowly sitting down. He has a concerned look on his face which I find makes him look very cute.

"I went to go see Dr. Olendski this morning while everyone was asleep," I start, pacing back and forth again. He opens his mouth to say something but I raise a hand. He closes it. "For the past week I've been feeling really nauseous and also been having constant morning sickness. My feet are swollen and it appears I've gained a few pounds which is impossible for us dhampirs, not to mention the Moroi."

"The doctor ran some tests including having me pee in a cup." Adrian doesn't give me the same disgusting look I gave Dr. Olendski when she told me I had to pee in a cup. "She got the results back from the urine sample and asked if I was sure I wanted to know. When she was reading them over quietly to herself, she had this perplexed look on her face like what she saw wasn't what she was expecting. I told her to give it to me straight because I couldn't wait any longer."

"What were the results?" Adrian finally speaks, his voice low.

I stop pacing and open my mouth but no words come out. I can't tell him. I want to but he'll just break up with me and want nothing to do with me or what's in store for us. He's a Moroi and something like this is frowned upon among the Moroi and also, the dhampirs. He's also a member of one of the twelve royal Moroi families. It'll be a scandal if something like this were to come out to the Moroi/dhampir society.

But I have to. Because Adrian is sitting there, on the couch, the concerned look plastered on his face. I take a deep breath.

"I'm pregnant."

 **Nine Months Later**

 **Adrian POV**

I hold our newborn baby girl in my arms with a grin on my face while Rose sleeps in her hospital bed. It took a lot of debating on names but we finally went with Adelina. Adelina Ela Ivashkov, Adelina being Romanian and Ela being Turkish. She has my green eyes and a little patch of Rose's dark brown hair. We're so happy she's finally here. The past nine months had been hell for us. Both our parents weren't happy when we told them we were expecting. Neither were the Guardian Council and the Moroi Council.

In fact, my mom had called Rose a blood whore, a term used to describe dhampir women who let Moroi men feed on them. I was shut out of my own family. That was until Rose had gone into labor and my parents came to the hospital in the Royal Court to meet their granddaughter. Everyone got over the teen pregnancy scandal and accepted the fact that we are young parents to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. My dad even put in a good word at St. Vladimir's Academy and the Guardian Council to get Rose to continue her guardian training and graduate before having Adelina. She was hoping to become her best friend Lissa's guardian but instead was assigned to me. Fortunately, she was happy about it and so was I.

Adelina has been sleeping peacefully in my arms while I gently rocked her. When she opens her eyes, she cries a little but stops when she meets my gaze. Her mouth turns upwards in a smile and mine grows wider as she pulls her tiny hands out of the pink blanket she's wrapped in and reaches out to me. I lean down to kiss her on the forehead and she places her hands on either side of my face.

"I'm gonna need my face back, little one," I can't help but let out a small laugh. She garbles but removes her hands. Feeling tired, I lay Adelina back down in her little bassinet beside Rose. She fusses a little, wanting to be held again but when I stroke her cheek with my finger, she falls back asleep.

Careful not to wake her, I lay down beside Rose in the vacant space on her hospital bed. She stirs a little from my weight and rolls over to snuggle against my chest. I wrap an arm around her and lay my head against hers, kissing her forehead before drifting off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not have a Beta reader, so any mistakes that you see are my own.**

 **Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy and all its characters.**

* * *

 **Adrian POV**

"This is amazing!" Rose exclaims when we enter our room at the Moroi-Dhampir Idaho ski lodge. She walks to the window, pushing the curtains aside. "Wow, even the view is beautiful."

I grin when I gaze at her. Well, at her back. "It always is." And I don't mean the view outside.

She turns and smiles shyly when she sees me gazing at her with love and adoration. She was reluctant at first, but Rose finally agreed to a romantic trip I had planned for just the two of us. Which happened to be the ski lodge where we first met and fell in love. Adelina is only six months old, after all, and we're both first-time parents, so I can understand Rose's reluctance at leaving her for the first time, even if it's just for the weekend. I was too, but I know our daughter will be well taken care of by my mother back at Court.

I set our bags down on the floor and slowly make my way towards Rose. She plays with her hands nervously, glancing anywhere but at me. When my face is inches from hers, instead of kissing those full lips I love so much, I lean to whisper in her ear, my voice seductive.

"We should get ready. Dinner is in an hour."

* * *

I could not take my eyes off my girlfriend throughout the whole night. She just looked so stunning and beautiful in a navy blue dress, that shows off her curves, with her hair down in loose waves. A month after giving birth, Rose immediately hit the gym to get her Dhampir figure back. Although she enjoyed carrying our daughter in her stomach for nine months, she was glad to finally get rid of the baby weight.

I had planned this whole trip because there was something I wanted to ask Rose. Of course, being a gentleman, I had asked her father for permission. Turns out, he has been waiting for this day, so really, I didn't even _need_ to ask.

We have just finished dinner at the little restaurant inside the ski lodge and are now just talking and reminiscing about our relationship. Well, _Rose_ is talking. I'm just gazing at her with my elbow on the table, my chin resting on my hand. When it's time to leave, instead of heading back up to our room, we head to the balcony outside. Thankfully, they have a fire going in the middle of the deck.

Rose is gazing up at the night sky. She hasn't noticed I had gotten down on one knee, holding out the open little black box.

"I haven't seen this many stars come out at night," she says. "They're so beautiful."

"I agree," I reply, and this time, she turns around. When she looks down at me, she gasps and covers her mouth with both her hands.

I take a deep breath before starting, "Rosemarie Hathaway, before I met you I was a mess. But you pulled me out of it and for that I am grateful. I am grateful and happy to have you in my life, and I am even more grateful and happy we are parents to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. I want us to continue building our family. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together. Rose, will you do a Moroi the honor and marry me?"

The only sound is the crackling of the fire. Rose is gazing down at me, the shocked expression still on her face. I am trying not to shiver as my knee is resting on the snow-covered ground.

Finally, she nods. "Yes," she squeals, and I stand up. "A million times, yes."

She reaches her left hand out, and I take the ring out of the box, sliding it on her ring finger. I pull her in my arms and lean down to kiss her on the lips. We end up making out right there on the balcony for what feels like hours before breaking away to catch our breath.

I rest my forehead against Rose's. "I love you," I whisper, gazing into her brown eyes, my hands cupping her face.

"I love you," she whispers back, and I kiss her one more time before taking her hand and leading her away from the balcony and back to our room.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not have a Beta reader, so any mistakes that you see are my own.**

 **Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy and all its characters.**

* * *

 **Rose POV**

Adrian and I agreed we would have a long engagement. We're both really busy with my guardian duties, being parents to a four-year-old, and Adrian going back to school. He wanted to set a good example for Adelina and worked towards getting his degree in art. A couple months ago, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with an art degree. It was an all-human school outside the Court grounds, but fortunately, Adrian wasn't the only Moroi there, and UPenn, as Adrian called it, was still close by.

When it came time to plan our wedding, we enlisted the help of my best friend, Her Royal Majesty Queen Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir. Knowing Lissa, she'd go all out and that's exactly what she did. Our wedding was eventful, save for Adelina getting scared and crying because she was the flower girl and therefore, was walking down the aisle by herself, surrounded by a lot of people who were, in her eyes, "really tall and really scary." It was Adrian who ran to her, took her in his arms, and carried her the rest of the way. It didn't take long for him to calm her down. If there's one person who can easily put a smile on Addie's face, it's her daddy, because she was a daddy's girl. When it came time for me to walk down the aisle in my beautiful, ivory white wedding dress, the sight in front of me brought tears to my eyes. Not only was Adrian waiting for me at the end, but so was our little girl. Addie was standing next to her daddy in her white flower girl dress, holding his hand. Her face was still red from crying, but she was smiling and even gave a big wave, calling out "Hi, Mommy!" making everyone in the church, including me and Adrian, laugh.

Our honeymoon was amazing. But it wasn't really a honeymoon, more like a family weekend trip. You could guess where we went. We've had so many great memories at the secluded Idaho ski lodge that on the way there, Adrian surprised me by telling me he bought it as a gift for the both of us. Even with all the lessons I took over the years, I still wasn't a good skier. But that didn't stop me from enjoying precious time with my husband and daughter. It was Addie's first time at the lodge, and she loved it, especially the ski lessons, drinking hot cocoa, and listening to stories of how her father and I met and fell in love there.

We are back at Court from our family trip. Addie is asleep in her bed, and Adrian and I are in the living room, cuddling in front of the lit fireplace with my head resting on his shoulder and his arms wrapped around me.

"So, I think it's time I tell you something," I speak, turning to gaze up at the emerald green eyes of my handsome husband.

"Is it you're pregnant?" he asks, meeting my gaze, the corners of his mouth turning upwards.

I pull away and raise an eyebrow at him. "How'd you know that?"

Adrian's grin grows wider. "Because my mother told me. To be fair, she thought I already knew, but I didn't."

"I don't understand how it happened," I say. "I mean, we were so careful."

"Except a couple months ago when the Queen, aka your best friend, threw me a surprise graduation party," Adrian says, pulling me closer to him, leaning down to whisper in my ear. "Do you remember? Because I do. I remember how you dragged me into one of the conference rooms and had your way with me. I remember that red dress you wore and the red lace lingerie underneath it. I remember everything about that night." He gently nips at my earlobe. "Best. Graduation. Present. Ever."

"So I guess it's my fault then," I sigh, pulling away, gazing down at the floor. "I was so caught up in the moment, I forgot to ask you if you brought protection. And now that I think about it, I forgot to go to the doctor for my birth control shot."

"Hey," Adrian says, lifting my chin up with his finger so I have no choice but to look at him. "It's no one's fault. So what if you're pregnant and neither of us expected it. It's okay. We're married now, not to mention we're already parents to a beautiful, happy, healthy, mischievous little toddler." We both laugh at that. "We can handle another one. And another one. And so on."

I smile as Adrian pulls me back against him and go back to resting my head on his shoulder. "You know, Addie is going to be really excited when we tell her she's going to be a big sister."

"How do you know?" Adrian asks.

"Because that was her birthday wish," I tell him and he just chuckles as we stare at the fire now slowly burning out.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not have a Beta reader, so any mistakes that you see are my own.**

 **Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy and all its characters.**

* * *

 **Adrian POV**

I'm right back where I was four and a half years ago. At the hospital, but this time, I'm holding our second daughter, Violetta Rosemarie Ivashkov, in my arms while Rose sleeps in her hospital bed, Adelina snuggled against her, also sleeping. Like with our firstborn, the labor and birth of our second child went fine and without complications. Addie is already turning into the protective big sister. She didn't want to go home with her grandparents, who had left after about an hour of meeting and fussing over their second granddaughter. As soon as they brought Addie in to see her new baby sister, she did not want to leave. The whole time she was in the hospital room, she stayed close to Violetta's side, even when one of the adults, including myself, was holding her. When Violetta would start crying, Addie would become agitated, but would feel better once she sees that her sister has calmed down.

Like with Addie when she was a newborn, Violetta is wrapped in a pink blanket, sleeping soundlessly in my arms as I rock her. Every few moments or so, her tiny mouth would turn upwards in a smile, reminding me of Rose.

"Daddy?" I turn to find Addie waking up, yawning and stretching, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Is Violetta okay?" She whispers as to not wake Rose.

"She's fine," I assure her as she slowly slips out of bed and walks over to me, standing by the window. "See? Look." I slowly and carefully kneel down and peel back the blanket just a little so Addie can see Violetta's sleeping face. "She's enjoying a peaceful slumber."

Addie leans in to kiss the top of Violetta's head, rubbing it gently. "When is she going to grow hair?" she asks, and I can't help but let out a small laugh. The first thing that came out of Adelina's mouth as soon as she saw her sister was, "She's bald." We had all laughed at that.

"Hopefully as she gets older," I answer.

"Do you think she'll have hair like mine?" Addie asks, combing a hand through her thick, curly brown hair, like her mother's.

"Maybe," I tell her. "You do have Mommy's hair so maybe your sister will too."

Addie smiles brightly at me and she, too, reminds me of Rose.

Violetta starts getting fussy and I stand up to rock her. She starts to cry, her eyes gazing around the room in search of something. Adelina looks up at me worriedly, wringing her hands.

"Violetta's fine," I assure her, as Violetta's cries turn into wails. "It's okay, little one. Daddy's here." I pace back and forth as I try to calm down Violetta. Minutes go by and her cries have not yet died down. I'm surprised they haven't alerted the nurses, but they have woken up Rose and right now, she's watching me with a nervous expression on her face. Adelina is sitting in the chair by her mother's bedside, agitated as she continues to wring her hands. Rose's gaze goes from Adelina to Violetta's crying face then back. By the changed look on her face, she has an idea.

"Adrian, give her to me," she says, holding her arms out. I walk over to her and place Violetta in them. "Addie, baby, come here." Addie obeys and goes to stand by Rose. Rose turns Violetta so she's facing her big sister. Her green eyes land on Addie's matching ones, and her cries finally die down. Rose smiles in triumph. "She just wanted her sister."

I walk over to Addie, lift her up, and place her at Rose's side, standing close in case she falls. Violetta's mouth turns upwards and she garbles as Addie leans in to kiss her forehead. She tries to grab her face in her tiny hands, but Addie quickly pulls away, giggling.

I gaze at my beautiful girls, adoringly. Rose meets my gaze and we just smile at each other, like one big, happy family.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not have a Beta reader, so any mistakes that you see are my own.**

 **Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy and all its characters.**

* * *

 **Rose POV**

I wake up to the alarm on my phone going off and answer it by grabbing it off the nightstand and throwing it across the room. I lay my head back down on the pillow with a content smile on my face. I hear a chuckle from behind me followed by a feel of soft kisses trailing down my neck.

"We better get up, Little Dhampir," Adrian whispers in my ear. "Addie has her first day of school."

I groan into the pillow. "Five more minutes."

"You know that can't happen," he chuckles again, wrapping his arms around me. "Five more minutes will turn into ten then fifteen and so on. If I let you sleep some more, you'll miss Addie leaving for her first day at St. Vladimir's."

I groan once more before sitting up in bed. "I still can't believe the day has finally come where she'll be leaving us to go to boarding school across the U.S."

Adrian sits up and wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. "Hey, don't be sad. Kirova did say we can visit anytime we want and see the progress Addie's making with her Dhampir training."

I smile, feeling a lot better. At first, I did not like the idea of Adelina going away to attend my old school and begin training to be a guardian. I guess it's a motherly thing or something, feeling like you need to protect your child by keeping a close watch on them. But after much discussion, I changed my mind because I want my oldest daughter to become one of the fiercest and respected guardians, like her mother and grandmother. Also, I can't keep smothering her because if I do, she'll come to resent me.

"Violetta is going to miss her big sister," I tell Adrian. "You know, she looks up to Addie."

Adrian chuckles. "Of course she does. Violetta follows Addie around everywhere she goes. Hell, she even follows her sister to the bathroom and just sits and waits outside for her." We both laugh at that. Adrian throws the covers aside and gets out of bed. "Come on. Let's go help our daughter get ready for her first day and spend little time we have before your mother comes and takes her to the private jet."

Like the observant five-year-old she is, Adelina could tell something was wrong by the tearful look she could see on my face and scooted her chair closer to me. She put a small hand on top of my own. "Don't cry, Mommy. You promised you wouldn't cry."

I give her a weak smile and wipe the tears away with a tissue. "I'm sorry, baby. I just can't help it. It won't be the same without you around."

Addie gets out of her chair to give me a hug. I pull her onto my lap. "But I will get to attend the same school you attended when you were my age. And Daddy said you and him and Violetta can visit anytime you want."

I pull her tightly against my chest. "I know, but we'll still miss you."

"Mommy, can't breathe," Addie gasps. I release my hold on her. She goes back to eating her breakfast and I watch her, memories from when she was a newborn to now flooding my brain.

My mother soon arrives just as I'm helping Addie put on her shoes and backpack. As expected, Violetta starts crying when she sees her sister about to leave, waddling over to Addie and wrapping her tiny arms around Addie's legs.

"No, Addie," she cries, burying her face in the fabric of Addie's pants. "No."

From the entryway, Adrian and I watch as Adelina bends down so she's at eye level with her little sister.

"I'm sorry I have to go, Violetta," she says. "But you stay here and keep an eye on Mommy and Daddy, especially Daddy because he's a Moroi and needs to be protected." Adrian and I smile at that. Addie gives Violetta a long, tight hug before pulling away. I could tell she's trying to hold in the tears.

"ADDIE!" Violetta's cries turn into wails. "NO GO, NO GO!"

"We better get going, Adelina," my mother says from the doorway, grabbing Addie's hand, pulling her up.

I grab a wailing Violetta and lift her up, placing her on my hip. She tries to reach for Addie, but I pull her back, whispering soothing words to her I'm sure she won't understand.

"Bye Mommy, bye Daddy," Addie says, and with Violetta attached to my hip, I bend down to give her a hug. She moves on to Adrian and he does the same.

"Remember, this isn't goodbye forever," he tells Addie. "We'll come and visit soon."

"I know," Addie says. She waves at us as she follows my mother out the door. We follow her out and watch as she gets in the backseat of my mother's car. With one final wave, they drive away.

Violetta is still crying for her sister as we walk back inside the house. As soon as I put her down, she makes a beeline for the screen door—thankfully, locked—and places her tiny hand on it as she calls out Addie's name. Adrian and I just watch her with matching sad looks on our faces.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" I ask Adrian.

Sensing the worry in my voice, he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me against him. "I think she'll be fine. The first couple days will probably be hard, but eventually, she'll get used to being away from us. And who knows. She'll be so busy with her studies and training, she'll forget all about us."

"And Violetta?"

"She'll come to understand why her sister had to go away," Adrian says, kissing the top of my head.


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not have a Beta reader, so any mistakes that you see are my own.**

 **Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy and all its characters.**

* * *

 **Rose POV**

Today, Adrian and I have the opportunity to fly out to St. Vladimir's Academy to watch the progress in Adelina's guardian training. My mother-in-law, Daniella, offered to babysit Violetta while we're gone, but we told her we're taking Violetta with us because I'm sure she'll want to see her sister after six months of being apart.

"ADDIE!" Violetta screams when she spots her sister among the throng of little kids. Pointing at her with a tiny finger, she looks up at me, a smile on her face. "Mama, Addie dere!"

I smile as Adelina runs toward us. When she reaches us, she gives me a big hug—which I return with my own—before moving on to Violetta, strapped safely in the stroller I had brought with me. Violetta squeals in delight as Addie peppers her face with kisses.

"Where's Daddy?" Addie asks, gazing around in search of Adrian.

"He'll be here soon," I tell her. "He's just with Headmistress Kirova, having a talk with her."

Addie doesn't seem upset, much to my relief. I guess as long as her father is somewhere on the Academy grounds, she's happy. "Are you here to watch me train?" she asks.

"Of course we are," I tell her. "Kirova told me and Daddy that you've been doing really well so far."

"Yup," she says, smiling brightly, seemingly proud of herself. "I'm at the top of my class."

"That's great, Addie," I praise my eldest daughter. "Daddy and I are so proud of you. In fact, we have a big surprise for you."

"What is it?" Addie asks, curiously.

"Sorry, I can't tell you," I say, zipping my lips. Pushing Violetta in the stroller, I head to the gymnasium where Adrian and I will be watching Addie train, Addie following behind, babbling on about the progress she's making in not only her training, but her studies as well.

* * *

Adelina's face lights up when we tell her what her big surprise is. The reason why Adrian was with Headmistress Kirova was because after Kirova told us that Addie's been doing well so far in her guardian training, Adrian went to Kirova's office to convince her—without using compulsion like he wanted to—to let Addie come home for the weekend. Kirova was hesitant at first, but agreed as long as Addie's back at the Academy by the following Monday morning. Even Violetta is excited her sister is coming home to Court, though, Adrian and I still worry about how she'll react when Addie has to leave again.

Adrian and I enjoyed watching Addie's training in the gym at St. Vladimir's. What shocked me more was that not only was Ellen Kirova still the headmistress, but Dimitri Belikov was still one of the Academy's guardians and teachers. I tried to avoid him as much as possible, but it wasn't easy, especially when he was in the gym as well. Adrian knows what happened between me and Dimitri. He's not mad because it happened way before I met him, but I could tell he was uncomfortable, knowing Dimitri was in the vincinity. What cheered him up was watching Addie practice fight. Adrian, being the overprotective father of two girls, was no longer worried about protecting his eldest from boys.

We're about to board the private jet that will take us back to Court when Dimitri grabs my arm. I sigh before turning to face him. "What do you want, Dimitri?"

"Can we talk?" he asks, pleadingly.

"I have nothing to say to you," I say, harshly, yanking my arm away. "Now if you'll excuse me, my family and I are heading back to Court."

"Roza, please," Dimitri begs.

Hearing the Russian name he has for me fires something inside me. Thankfully, the girls are fast asleep, but Adrian watches us from his seat on the plane.

"Hey!" I snap at Dimitri. "You don't get to call me that. Ever. Do you hear me? Now, if you want to talk, fine, we'll talk, but you don't ever call me 'Roza.' Understand?"

Dimitri nods and I follow him back inside the building, but not before turning to smile at my husband, telling him I'll be right back. He tries to protest, but I tell him not to worry.

"What do you want?" I ask again, crossing my arms over my chest.

Dimitri runs a hand over his hair I now notice has been cut short. "You seem to be doing well."

"Yeah, I'm happily married to the love of my life, I'm also his guardian, and we have two beautiful children, one of which you just saw train in the gym with Alberta Petrov, who, by the way, still has fighting skills for such an old woman," I tell him.

Dimitri seems hurt by the angry tone in my voice, but I don't care. I'm not the one who had hurt him back when I was a student at the Academy. _He_ was the one who hurt _me._ By confessing his love for me, despite our age difference and the fact he was one of the teachers, sleeping with me, only to throw it all away by sleeping with one of the female teachers (not Alberta, thank god). Until I met Adrian, I thought Dimitri was the one. We had a plan. Once I turned eighteen and graduated from St. Vladimir's, we were going to officially be together. While I was going to be Lissa's guardian, he was going to be her boyfriend, Christian Ozera's guardian. And because they were always together, it wasn't going to be a problem. But that also got thrown away. I don't regret meeting Adrian, though. I don't regret us falling in love, me getting pregnant at eighteen, being his guardian instead of Lissa's, and getting married. When I met Adrian, Dimitri became a thing of the past. I still saw him in the halls and classrooms and I still trained with him, but now that Adrian and I were together, my feelings for Dimitri changed.

"How is married life treating you?" Dimitri asks, masking his hurt with a stoic expression.

"Why do you care?" I ask. "You never did back then."

"I cared about you, Rose," he says. "I still do."

"Then tell me, Dimitri," I say. "After you told me you were in love with me and slept with me afterwards, why did you cheat on me with one of the female teachers? What was her name, again?"

Dimitri sighs. "Her name was Jane. And I didn't cheat on you with her."

I laugh bitterly, placing a hand on my chest. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed now that you told me you loved me, we were a couple. Maybe a secret couple considering romantic entanglements between students and teachers was forbidden. Cheated or not, you still hurt me by sleeping with someone else. I can't believe I lost my virginity to you." I whisper the last part.

"Look," Dimitri says. "I didn't pull you aside so we can fight about what happened in the past. I just wanted to see how you were doing. When I saw you with your husband and children, how happy you were, it brought up those painful memories. I really am sorry for what I did to you, Rose. I understand you don't want to forgive me. I just wanted you to hear my apology."

"I do forgive you, Dimitri," I tell him, truthfully. "You know why?" When he doesn't answer, I continue, "Because I moved on. It's like I told you before. I'm happily married with children. I love my husband and he loves me. We're both amazing parents to our daughters. We have our bad days, but we get through them together." I turn to leave, but before I walk out the door, I turn back to face Dimitri. "I wish you well, Dimitri Belikov."

Before he can reply, I walk out the door and back to the private jet where Adrian and our girls are waiting.

* * *

 **I know for those of you who love Dimitri and Rose and Dimitri together, you'll hate me for how I portrayed him in this series of one shots. A reviewer asked if Dimitri was going to make an appearance. And while I still love Dimitri, I wasn't planning on including him. However, I had to at some point because I knew I'll be getting more questions about where he is, what he's doing, etc. He'll somewhat be the bad guy, or the good guy, depending on how I feel he should be portrayed, but he won't be turning into a Strigoi.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not have a Beta reader, so any mistakes that you see are my own.**

 **Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy and all its characters.**

* * *

 **Adrian POV**

Rose was putting on a brave face on the way back to Court, but I could tell she was upset after her conversation with Dimitri Belikov. When I saw him in the gym at St. Vladimir's, I wanted to beat the crap out of him for what he did to my wife a long time ago, back when she was a student at the school. What stopped me was the fact that we were in the gym to watch Adelina's progress in her guardian training. The last thing my five-year-old wanted was for her dad to embarrass her and get her in trouble by beating the crap out of one of the teachers for something that happened way before she was born, before her mother and I got together.

After putting the girls to bed—because they've adjusted to the Moroi schedule and not the Dhampir schedule—I head to my and Rose's bedroom and see the bathroom light is on, the door wide open. Whenever Rose is stressed or just wants to relax after a long day, she takes a bubble bath. I don't join her, no matter how much I want to, because the reasons for her being stressed—and tired—are usually having to take care our daughters, which she has no complaint about, and keeping me safe from harm, which she also has no complaint about. Instead, I sit on the edge of our bed and wait.

I hear the sound of the water draining as Rose appears in front of the mirror above the sink in a towel. A bulge appears in my pants and I stand up, adjusting myself. Fortunately, Rose doesn't notice me. I walk up to her and wrap my arms around her gorgeous body, placing soft kisses along her neck. She closes her eyes and leans against my touch, moaning softly.

"You okay, Little Dhampir?" I ask, whispering in Rose's ear, making her shiver.

"I am now," she tells me, turning around in my arms to face me, reaching up to wrap her arms around my neck. "I love you. Nothing will ever change that."

"I love you, too," I tell her, placing my forehead against hers. "So much." I know she's still upset about seeing Dimitri after all these years. I'm not worried about her romantic feelings for him because I know they're no longer there. He was the one who hurt her after all.

"I'm sorry," Rose says, taking me by surprise.

"For what?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.

"I know it must've been hard for you to see Dimitri at the Academy," she tells me. "When I saw him, those painful memories came rushing back."

"It was," I say, truthfully. "I actually wanted to beat the crap out of him."

"He'd probably take you down," she says.

I feign hurt, placing a hand over my heart. "That's harsh, babe. But you're right. I've seen Dimitri fight. Do not want to get into one with that guy." We both laugh at that.

We walk back inside our bedroom and I turn around so Rose can change. I've seen her naked more than a few times—we're married, after all—but every time I see her naked, it ends with me having my way with her on our bed in a matter of seconds. Now was not the time for that, considering Rose was in a vulnerable state. After a few moments, I turn back around to find her in shorts and one of my T-shirts, standing at the window, gazing outside.

I get up from the bed and go to stand behind her, my arms finding their way back around her _very_ gorgeous body, not caring that the sun is making me uncomfortable. "What are you thinking about, Little Dhampir?" I whisper in Rose's ear.

She doesn't speak for a few moments, but she leans into my touch. "Do you remember how we met?" she finally asks, and I can sense the smile in her voice.

I laugh. "How could I not? It's the most amazing memory I have, aside from both our daughters being born."

"The Academy had just been attacked by Strigoi," Rose starts. "I was in my last year and the upper grade students were forced to go on a mandatory ski trip until things settled down while the younger kids were sent home to their parents."

"I happened to be at the ski lodge in Idaho to get away from my criticizing father," I add. "I was out on the balcony, smoking a cigarette, when you showed up, looking really upset."

"I just found out from Lissa, who knew about my secret relationship with Dimitri, that Dimitri slept with one of the female guardians name Jane," she tells me. "I came outside to cry and get some fresh air. I didn't notice you right away because I was too upset. It wasn't until I smelled the cigarette smoke that I turned around to find you standing there, staring at me with the cigarette in your mouth."

I pull my wife tightly—but not too tight—against me. "You were very beautiful and you still are. I was mesmerized and still am."

"I didn't like you at first," Rose goes on.

"Because I was a twenty-one-year-old rebellious college drop-out, living off of Daddy's money, even though he hated me."

"You were also a philanderer," she adds.

"That too," I can't help but laugh, weakly.

"But I got to know you better and I realized I liked you, despite your ways."

"But I was already falling for you," I say, kissing the outer shell of her ear. "For me, it was love at first sight."

"It wasn't until after three days of getting to know you that I realized I was feeling the same way," Rose says, turning around to face me, her arms making their way back around my neck. "But then, I had to go back to St. Vladimir's with the rest of my classmates. I was devastated and heartbroken because this meant I wouldn't be seeing you again."

"Until I showed up at the Academy a week later," I tell her. "I had to see you again because I couldn't stop thinking about you. I convinced Kirova to let me stay at guest housing so I can be close to you."

"You mean you _compelled_ her to let you stay," she raises an eyebrow.

I smile sheepishly. "Okay, I did compel her. She wasn't simply going to let me stay because I was madly in love with a Dhampir girl and needed to be close to her. She'd probably think that was ridiculous."

"It was, but it was also cute," Rose smiles at me, pulling my face towards hers to kiss me on the lips, pulling away after a moment. "Especially when you surprised me by sneaking into my room after curfew. I was just finishing up some homework when I felt strong," she slides a finger down my left shoulder, "muscular," she moves down to my left bicep, "arms wrap around me. As a guardian novice, I should've fought back, but I didn't because I knew just who those strong, muscular arms belonged to."

"Then one thing led to another," I close. "And well, we both know what happened next."

"Adelina Ela Ivashkov was born nine months later," Rose finishes. "And I still managed to graduate from St. Vladimir's. Of course, when I found out I wasn't going to be Lissa's guardian, I was upset, but then they told me I was going to be yours and I was happy again."

"I'm happy too," I say, smiling as I reach to rub her cheek with the pad of my thumb. "You changed me, Rosemarie Ivashkov. I used to be a cigarette-smoking, college drop-out philanderer, but now I'm a twenty-six-year-old loving father and husband. I no longer smoke, I no longer drink, and I've learned to control my spirit using."

"Not to mention you mended your relationship with your parents," Rose adds. "Even after they found out you knocked up a Dhampir girl."

"I think it was the fact that when they met their granddaughter for the first time, they immediately fell in love," I say. "All was forgiven after that."

Rose stands on her tippy-toes to kiss me on the lips. "I love you, my husband."

"And I love you, my wife," I say, before taking her hand and leading her towards our bed.


	8. Chapter 8

**My apologies for the long wait. I was reading this story over and over and I mentioned in the beginning that there will be a huge time skip between chapters. I realized that was a big mistake as I could've probably somehow incorporated a lot into these series of one shots. I heard something about outtakes where writers would add a few or more into their stories, usually after they're finished, as sort of a never-before-seen type thing. That's something that would be interesting to do so I might (or might not, depends on how I really feel about it) do that.**

 **Anyway, here is the next chapter. Actually, it was meant to be one long chapter, but I split it into two because it was really long.**

 **I do not have a Beta reader, so any mistakes that you see are my own.**

 **Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy and all its characters.**

* * *

 **Adrian POV**

"I have a meeting with the Guardian Council and the Moroi Council," Rose says, taking a sip of her coffee. "I can drop the girls off with your mom or mine so you don't need to look after them."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Why do you need to drop them off with a babysitter when I'm sitting right here?" I gesture to myself. "It's not like I have anything better to do. I can look after them while you're gone. I have done it before."

"Do you remember what happened last time you watched the girls by yourself?" Rose asks, giving me a knowing look.

I think for a moment before smiling sheepishly. "I assure you, it won't be like last time," I tell her, truthfully. "I'll be strict, I promise."

"I really hope so," she says. "But maybe not too strict. That's my job." She smiles when she says this and goes back to eating her breakfast.

The last time Rose left me alone with the kids, it was two weeks before Addie was scheduled to leave for St. Vladimir's. Rose was having a girls' day with the Moroi Queen, and I offered to look after the girls by myself—something I've never actually done because my mother would usually be with me to help, but at the time, she was accompanying my father on one of his business trips, and Rose's mother was unavailable as she was a guardian and therefore, had duties to tend to. Although Rose is my guardian, she doesn't need to be with me all the time when we're on Court grounds because the whole area is safe and secure, surrounded by guardians. So, if there was somewhere she needed, or wanted, to be, she could be there, and I'd be fine on my own.

Anyway, I figured I'd be the cool dad and let the girls do whatever they want while making sure they stayed out of trouble and didn't hurt themselves. Boy, was that a big mistake. They were fine, but I made the mistake of giving them a lot of sugar after dinner. Rose had come home around ten in the evening to two very hyper children, who were supposed to be in bed three hours ago.

I didn't get any for a week after that.

"Wait," I perk up, "You say you have a meeting with the Moroi Council?" Rose nods. "Then that means I need to be there as well, to represent the Ivashkov family."

She shakes her head. "Lissa says there's no need since I'm also an Ivashkov. So, I'll be representing our family."

I smile at that. "My guardian and my wife. Sometimes I forget that you're both." I'm about to lean in for a kiss when we hear giggling. I forget there's young children in the room.

"It's okay, Daddy," Addie says as I lean back against my chair. "You can kiss Mommy. We'll just close our eyes." She places a hand over her eyes, using her other hand to do the same to Violetta, who giggles, thinking Addie is playing peek-a-boo with her.

I turn my attention back to my wife. "Where were we?" I pull my chair closer to her and lean in again, placing a kiss on her beautiful lips. It's just a quick peck, but it still does something to my man parts. Then again, anything that has to do with Rose, whether it's seeing or picturing her naked or wearing something sexy or just seeing her in all her natural beauty, it always does something to my man parts.

After breakfast, Rose leaves for her meeting and I clean up in the kitchen before moving on to the rest of the apartment. I get laundry started and once the first load is in the washer, my phone dings, indicating a text message.

 **Hey, babe. Just checking in. How's everything going with the kids?**

I laugh. It's only been a couple hours and Rose is already checking up on me like she always does when I'm by myself.

 **The girls are watching cartoons and I just cleaned the apartment and am now doing laundry.**

 **Sounds good. I'm still in a meeting with the Moroi Council and the Guardian Council. I thought the meetings were separate but it's all in one big conference room.**

 **Do you know what they're about?**

 **It's a long story. I'll let you know when I get home. I have to go now. They only gave us a five-minute break. I love you and I'll be home soon.**

 **Love you, too.**

I go into the living room and plop down beside Addie on the couch, Violetta sitting on the floor with her favorite stuffed bear, her eyes glued to the TV.

"What are you watching?" I ask, wrapping an arm around Addie, who snuggles closer to my side. Violetta turns her head when she hears my voice and smiles. She gets up off the ground and, clutching her bear against her chest, waddles the short distance towards me. I pick her up, placing her on my lap, and she snuggles closer to my chest, turning her attention back to the TV.

"SpongeBob," Addie tells me.

"That's cool," I say. "Hey, how about when I'm done with laundry, we go see Grandma Daniella and Grandpa Nathan?"

"Are they home?" Addie asks, gazing up at me.

"I'm sure they are," I say. "Let me just call and see." Keeping my hold on Violetta, I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial my mom's number.

"Hello?" my dad answers on the second ring.

I raise an eyebrow. "Dad? I thought I called Mom. Is she there?"

"I'm sorry no," he tells me. "She's out with your aunt Tatiana. She must've forgotten her phone. Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah," I assure him. "Everything's fine. I was just wondering if the girls and I can come over and hang out for a while. Rose is in a meeting and so it's just me, Addie, and Violetta."

"Really? Rose left you alone with them? Even after what happened last time?" he laughs when he says this.

I sigh. "Rose told you and Mom, didn't she?" My dad says yes. "I told her I was going to be strict with the girls and not be the cool dad."

"Whatever you say, son," my dad says, still laughing. After a while, he calms down. "But to answer your question, of course, you can come over. I barely get to see the girls. You know your mother splurged on toys for them. Even bought those iPad things for children."

"Well, you know Mom," I say. "Actually, is it okay if we come over later? I have laundry to do, but hopefully, I can be done in the next couple hours or so."

"Sure," my dad says. "I have a conference call in an hour. It'll probably take long, but I'll still be available via text so if you do decide to come by, let me know and I can have Glenn come and get you since Rose is obviously unavailable."

"Sure thing, Dad," I say. "We'll see you later."

"Bye, son," he says and hangs up.

I gaze down at Addie. "Grandma's not home, but Grandpa is." She smiles up at me. "But we'll go over to their house later. Is that okay?"

She nods. "Did Grandma buy more toys for us?"

I laugh. "Of course, she did. You know Grandma loves spoiling you and your sister."

"Gamma," Violetta squeals, clapping her hands together, dropping her bear in the process. "Gamma, Gamma, Gamma."

Addie and I laugh and we go back to watching SpongeBob.

* * *

It's mid-afternoon by the time I put the last load in the dryer. I decide now is the perfect time to head over to my parents'. I grab my phone from my pocket and send my dad a text.

 **Hey Dad,**

 **Last load of laundry is in the dryer so I figured now would be the time to come over. Are you still on your conference call or are you going to send Glenn to come get us? Rose is still not home so she's either still in a meeting or she's out with Queen Vasilisa.**

A few minutes later, I get a reply.

 **Just finishing up. Glenn is on his way right now. Won't be long since you live not far from us.**

I put Addie and Violetta down for a nap an hour ago, and now I feel bad for waking them up. When it comes to naps, Rose and I usually let them wake up on their own. If they've been sleeping for more than three hours, we wake them up.

As expected, Addie and Violetta are cranky because they were woken up from their peaceful slumber. But when I tell them we're going to see Grandpa Nathan, they perk up. I let Addie pick out an outfit to wear and leave her to get Violetta ready. Thankfully, I had changed her diaper before she went down for her nap, so she's all good in that department. Like with Addie, I let Violetta pick out her own outfit, but I lay out options for her. She decides on the pink polka dot dress, much to my happiness, because that's easy to put on her.

I hear the doorbell ring as I'm putting Violetta's shoes on, Addie all set and ready to go. I open the door to find Glenn, my dad's guardian, standing outside in the standard guardian uniform.

"Ready to go, sir?" he asks.

"Hi, Uncle Glenn," Addie appears from behind me, smiling sheepishly up at him. It's obvious Addie has a schoolgirl crush on the young man. It's adorable, but I'm overprotective of my girls, especially when it comes to boys.

"Ma'am," Glenn grins down at Addie, pretending to be tipping his hat.

Addie blushes and I internally groan as I pick Violetta up and place her on my hip. "We could stand here all day or we could go," I say, rather rudely, but I don't care.

Glenn's face turns serious. "Sorry, sir. Right this way."

It's only a ten-minute walk from our house to my parents'. My dad travelled a lot for business and my mom sometimes joined him, along with their guardians, of course. But once Rose and I moved to Court, my parents moved into a house just down the road to be closer to us. My dad still travels for business, but not as much as before—once every few weeks or so. He's still busy with paperwork, conference calls, etc. He's basically working from home now.

As for Rose's parents, her father is a former Turkish mobster, living somewhere in Turkey, but her mom still remains one of the fiercest and respected guardians, living on the other side of Court with her Moroi charge, one of the members of the Szelsky family. Like with my parents, Rose mended her relationship with her mother, whom she became estranged with after Janine Hathaway left her daughter with the Academy when she was five years old, choosing instead to continue being a guardian over being a mother. Rose also built a relationship with her father, Abe Mazur—much to Janine's disappointment—after years of not knowing who he was, when he suddenly showed up at her high school graduation. Though Janine and Abe don't see eye to eye because she still holds a grudge against him for leaving her at the hospital after she gave birth to Rose when she was just seventeen years old, they still tolerate each other, not only for Rose's sake, but also their grandchildren's. Which is usually during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and whenever Abe decides to come and visit, which is at least once every couple of months.

When we get to my parents', as soon as my dad opens the door, Addie runs into his open arms and I put Violetta down so she can do the same. I step inside, Glenn following behind.

"I missed my grandbabies," my dad says as he pulls them both in for a hug. "How are my girls doing?"

"We're doing fine, Grandpa Nathan," Addie says grinning, while Violetta just says, "Gampa, Gampa," as she reaches for her grandpa, who picks her up and places her on his hip. "Daddy says Grandma Daniella bought more toys for us."

"Yes, she did," my dad smiles, gesturing down the hall to the kids' playroom they had set up when they moved in. "Why don't you and your sister go check them out?" He puts Violetta back down on the ground and Addie takes her hand as they make a run for the playroom. A few minutes later, we hear screaming and Glenn, like the guardian he is, is on high alert, about to make a run towards the danger when my dad stops him.

"It's okay, Glenn," he says, "That's the excited scream of a child who saw just how much toys her grandmother bought for her."

Addie comes running out of the playroom towards us, carrying an iPad. "Daddy! Daddy!" she screams, practically shoving the iPad in my face. "Look what Grandma bought me. It's an iPad. I've wanted one ever since Eric got one for his birthday. Now we both have an iPad." She runs back to the playroom before I can reply.

I turn to glare at my dad. He puts his hands up in defence. "Hey, don't at me. Your mother is the one who is always spoiling those children, not me."

While the girls are playing in the other room, my dad and I sit in the dining room and talk about what's been going on over coffee while Glenn stands nearby, his "guardian mask" plastered on his face.

"I'm glad we could talk like this," my dad smiles at me. "I am so proud of the man you've become. I guess I have Rose to thank for that."

I grin, thinking back to my and Rose's conversation yesterday and what came afterward. "She and the girls are the reasons why I changed. I stopped smoking, I stopped drinking, I learned to control my spirit element, I went back to school. The only thing left now is to find a job that will accept someone with an art degree."

My dad leans forward in his chair. "Perhaps I can help you with that."

"I'm listening," I say.

He starts, "Now you don't have to give an answer right away, but a friend of mine is looking for someone to teach art classes over at the recreation centre. I told him you might be up for it, but that's only if you want to. It's part-time, but the pay is good. Again, you don't have to give an answer right away. There is someone who is already teaching the art classes, but she sent in her one-month notice of resignation. So, you have a lot of time to think about it."

"Wow," I say, awestruck. "That's actually amazing. I will definitely think about it and I'm sure Rose will be happy I finally got a job, but she and I would still need to talk about what happens next if I do decide to accept it."

The rest of the afternoon is spent talking about business stuff. My mom comes home and after saying hi to me and giving me a hug, she goes off to play with her grandbabies. Soon, night falls and it's time to go home. After saying bye to my parents, Glenn follows us back to our house where Rose is waiting inside, by the door. Glenn leaves once the girls and I are safely inside.

* * *

 **This is probably the longest chapter I've written so far. Usually, I'd write under 2,000 words.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not have a Beta reader, so any mistakes that you see are my own.**

 **Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy and all its characters.**

* * *

 **Adrian POV**

"I was wondering where you went off to," Rose smiles as she gives the girls each a hug. "Did you girls have fun at Grandma and Grandpa's?"

"Yeah!" Addie exclaims. "Grandma bought us more toys and each of us an iPad."

Rose raises an eyebrow at me. I don't say anything, instead, I just put my hands up in defence, like my dad did earlier.

"That's nice," Rose says, turning her attention back to our children. "But you know you can't bring it back to St. Vladimir's with you, right?" Addie nods, knowingly. "Because outside devices like iPads are not allowed."

"I know, Mommy," Addie smiles up at Rose. "That's why I left my iPad at Grandma and Grandpa's. Violetta brought hers, though." It's then I notice Violetta clutching the device in her hands. I was so bent on getting home to my wife, I hadn't noticed.

Rose bends down to gently pry Violetta's iPad out of her hands. Violetta starts to scream, reaching for the device and failing. I reach to pick her up and place her against my shoulder, patting her back to calm her down.

"How about I cook us a quick dinner?" I say, feeling the tension start to rise. I gaze at Violetta, who is still crying because her iPad got taken away. "Do you want to help Daddy make dinner for Mommy and Addie?" That seems to put a smile on her face. Like Addie, Violetta is a daddy's girl and loves helping me out with anything she can do, whether that is putting laundry away or handing me measured-out ingredients to make something delicious. We Moroi can still cook and eat as long as we have human feeder blood in our system.

I turn leftovers from last night's dinner into a meal. By that point, Violetta has calmed down and back to her usual, happy self, though she still clings to me. We eat dinner and afterwards, Rose and I let the girls stay up twenty minutes past their bedtime—even though, I thought they've adjusted to the Moroi schedule. I guess not—but Violetta passes out in my arms, so while Addie continues to play in the living room, I carry her sister to her room and tuck her in her crib.

Now that both girls are in bed, asleep, Rose and I sit at the dining room to talk, our hands intertwined.

"So, what happened during the meeting with the Guardian Council and the Moroi Council?" I ask.

Rose takes a deep breath before starting, "There's another spirit user who lives somewhere in Russia."

My eyes widen. This is a surprise. So far, there have been only eight known spirit users, two of which are dead while one is institutionalized. Aside from me, there's Her Royal Majesty Queen Vasilisa, Sonya Karp, Nina Sinclair, a woman name Oksana—who moved to Court with her guardian/husband/shadow-kissed bondmate, Mark, from Russia—Robert Doru, the saint Addie's school is named after, and Avery Lazar. Robert and St. Vladimir are the ones who are dead while Avery is the one institutionalized.

I'm about to say something, but Rose puts a hand up. "I know what you're going to say but let me finish."

I nod, gesturing for her to continue.

"From what we know, there was a Strigoi attack on a Moroi/Dhampir boarding school in Russia just yesterday. A lot of people were injured but thankfully, there were no casualties.

"The spirit user is a young girl name Matilda who is around Addie's age. We still don't understand how she did it or how she was able to specialize in one of the elements in the first place, since Moroi don't usually find out until their sixteenth birthday. But there was a lone Strigoi the guardians forgot to kill. Before they could get to him, there she was, running towards the danger with a silver stake in her hand. They tried to stop her, but she just kept going until she was close enough to drive the stake through the Strigoi's heart.

"But then something amazing happened," Rose goes on, with a look of awe on her face. "The Strigoi didn't die. Instead, he was turned back into what he was before. A Moroi."

"How is that even possible?" I find myself asking.

"Again, we don't know," she tells me. "We don't even know how she was able to reach his heart. He was a few inches taller than her, but he was a teenager. What we _think_ is that Matilda might've charmed the stake."

"Charmed as in put some kind of spell on it?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Rose says. "That had to be the only reason."

"I understand why you need to meet with the Moroi Council about this, but why the Guardian Council? They don't deal with this kind of stuff," I say.

Rose sighs. "After what we just learned, the Moroi Council thinks we can save the Strigoi instead of kill them by turning them back into what they were before. They think we can use you, Lissa, Sonya, Nina, and Oksana to help us with that. Both councils got into a heated argument about it. While the Moroi thinks it's a great idea for you guys to fight alongside the guardians, the guardians think it's a very bad idea. Our job is to protect the Moroi from Strigoi and any other sort of danger.

"Letting you and the other spirit users fight alongside us can be very dangerous. Especially when Lissa is the Moroi Queen and you're part of one of the twelve royal families." She gives me a small smile. "And my husband and Addie and Violet's father."

I reach across the table to wipe the tears that are starting to fall down my wife's face and take both her hands in mine. "I know this is something you don't want to hear, but I think it's a good idea." She's about to say something, probably scold me, but it's my turn to put my hand up. "I love you and I love our girls. But I can't just stand around while you put your life on the line to keep me safe. As much as I love seeing you in action, wearing the standard guardian uniform that looks very sexy on you," Rose giggles at the compliment and I smile. "It's not right for the man to sit on the sidelines while his wife goes off to fight the monsters we learn about in school. It should be the other way around."

"I know," Rose says. "But you haven't used spirit since Addie was born. I'm worried once you start up again, you'll end up like Avery Lazar."

"That won't happen," I assure her. "Avery was a rich, spoiled brat who wanted to be the most powerful spirit user. She compelled both her brother and her guardian, and god knows how many others, to kill themselves so she can bring them back to life and create a shadow-kissed bond because she thought that was how she was going to get what she wanted. Instead, it made her go crazy.

"Remember when she almost turned Strigoi on Court grounds? Who knows what would've happened if you and the guardians hadn't stopped her. So, if you're worried I'll end up like Avery, don't be. I'm not a rich, spoiled brat like her. I've learned to control the spirit element and so have the others."

Rose smiles. "I know you won't end up like Avery. Neither will the others. You guys are smarter than that." We just sit there, gazing at each other, and I so badly want to grab her and carry her to our bedroom and have my way with her. But I stop myself.

"So, when do we start?" I ask.

"It's not final yet," Rose says. "After the heated argument, the Queen dismissed both councils so they can all sleep on it. We meet again tomorrow morning at ten."

"Are you going be okay if the plan goes through?" I ask, searching her eyes for any sign of sadness or disappointment.

She sighs. "Probably not. But I can't do anything to change your mind. I know this is something you want to do."

"It is," I tell her. "There are probably some Strigoi out there who were turned against their will. After hearing that it's possible to turn them back, I want to do it. I want to save them."

After our talk, we head to our bedroom and get ready to go to sleep. Once Rose and I are changed into our pajamas, we climb into bed and she snuggles closer to me so her head is resting on my chest.

"No matter what happens, just know that I love you," I say, kissing the top of Rose's head.

"I love you, too," she says, yawning.

It's at that point that I forgot to tell Rose about the job offer. As we both drift off to sleep, I mentally kick myself and remind myself to tell her about it in the morning.


	10. Outtake 1

**Outtake #1**

 **I do not have a Beta reader, so any mistakes that you see are my own.**

 **Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy and all its characters.**

* * *

 **Rose POV**

That day I graduated from St. Vladimir's Academy and became a guardian, I met my father for the first time in eighteen years. It was also the day I went into labor and had to be flown out to the hospital at the Royal Court because the Academy's infirmary didn't have the resources to treat pregnant patients.

Anyway, after finals were done and the graduation ceremony was over, a party was held in the Academy's banquet hall. It was where the Moroi graduates were going to find out which guardian they've been assigned to. I was standing off to one side with my boyfriend, Adrian Ivashkov, standing behind me, both our hands cradling my protruding stomach, feeling our baby girl kick every few seconds, making us both smile and laugh as I soothingly rubbed the spots where she kicked. Right after I finished my final—which, for me anyway, was going through a modified but still hard obstacle course the teachers set up—I felt Adelina drop so it was only a matter of time before I went into labor.

I couldn't sit down, no matter how badly I needed to. Almost everyone was walking up to me, congratulating me on getting through my last year at the Academy and I didn't want to be rude. Despite the pregnancy scandal that shocked the vampire world, they were happy for me.

A man with black hair and brown eyes walked up to Adrian and I and congratulated me on my success and pregnancy. I could tell he was Moroi because he had the tall height and very pale skin of one. He introduced himself as Ibrahim Mazur and while Adrian nor I didn't know that name, my mother—who was nearby, talking to a group of guardians—certainly did because when she heard that name, she turned around with an angry look on her face.

"You!" The man called Ibrahim turned around as my mother stomped up to him until she was practically touching him. Because he was taller than her, she had to lift her head to look up at him. She lifted a finger and stabbed his chest. "You have a lot of nerve being here."

Ibrahim raised his hands up in defense. "I'm not here to cause trouble, Janine. I just wanted to see our daughter and congratulate her on officially becoming a guardian. I also heard she's carrying our grandchild."

When I heard the word "daughter" come out of Ibrahim's mouth, it was like someone poured a bucket of ice cold water on me. Adrian must've felt the same way because I felt him tense behind me.

"Daughter? What do you mean 'daughter?'" I asked. I pulled away from Adrian and stepped closer between Ibrahim and my mother.

My mother sighed while Ibrahim turned back to face me. "Your mother didn't tell you about me?" Before I could answer, he sighed. "Of course, she didn't. I can see why."

"Let's not talk here," my mother glanced around the room. "Let's talk outside."

"I'm coming with you," Adrian spoke up, taking my hand in his as we started walking—or in my case, waddling—out the door, past people who were staring after us, dumbfounded.

"Sorry, Adrian, but this is a family matter," my mother told him.

"Let the boy come with us," Ibrahim said. "He's the father of our grandchild after all."

My mother pursed her lips before sighing. "Okay, fine."

Once we were in the hallway, she turned to face Ibrahim. "You left me at the hospital with our newborn daughter eighteen years ago." She pointed an accused finger at him. "You left without a word."

"I was young, Janine," he told her. "Just like you were. And my father needed me to take over the family business."

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" I asked, rather loudly, but not loud enough for everyone in the other room to hear. They had all gone back to enjoying the party.

"I'm your father, Rose," Ibrahim confessed.

"What?" I gasped. Adrian came up behind me and we placed both our hands back on my stomach. Adelina had stopped kicking by then.

"I'm your father," Ibrahim repeated before going on to explain. "Your mother and I were just kids when we met and fell in love. Teenagers. When she told me she was pregnant, at first, I was upset because I thought we were being careful. But after seeing you on the sonogram, I was happy. But I came from a wealthy family who had enemies and did very terrible things. I didn't want that for you. If I left and stayed away, no harm would come to you. And that's exactly what I did."

"How did you know where to find me?" I found myself asking. I didn't know whether to be happy that I found my long-lost father—or rather, he found me—or angry that he left my mother and me after I was born. What I did know was that he was here and that was all that mattered.

Ibrahim turned his head to glare at my mother before turning back to give me a small smile. "I found out five years later that your mother left you because she'd rather protect Moroi from danger than take care of you. At first, I was furious, but then I was relieved because it was St. Vladimir's Academy she left you at. A safe place where others would take care of you."

"I left her because it was time for her to start her guardian training," my mother explained. "Not because I didn't love her anymore."

"If you loved me, then why didn't you keep in touch?" I asked, calmly. If it weren't for Adrian moving his hand to my back to rub soothing circles, I would be lashing out at my mother and even my father. "Why didn't either of you come and visit?"

It was Ibrahim who spoke while my mother just stayed silent, which gave me the answer I needed. "I wanted to, but I was already risking your safety just by keeping tabs on you. I told myself I couldn't do that, but now that I knew you weren't with your mother anymore, I needed to make sure you were safe and still with the Academy." He gestured to my stomach. "It was when I found out you graduated and are expecting your first child with your Moroi boyfriend that I decided to risk it and fly down from Russia to see you."

"Well, congratulations, Abe," my mother fumed, angrily throwing her hands up in the air. "You just killed our daughter and granddaughter."

"You don't have to worry about that," Ibrahim assured her. "I'm not in the business anymore, so no one will be coming after me or Rose."

"I hope not, for your sake," my mother stepped closer to him with fire in her eyes. "Because if anything happens to her _or_ our granddaughter, I'll come after you with a silver stake."

"That sounds reasonable," Ibrahim affirmed, seeming unfazed by my mother's anger. He turned his attention back to me. "So, you're having a girl?"

"We are," Adrian spoke for the first time in a while, still rubbing circles along my back. "We even have a name picked out."

"Adelina," I gushed. "We spent hours debating on names until finally, that's what we came up with. And since Adelina is a Romanian name, we decided we should give her a Turkish middle name. So, her full name is Adelina Ela Ivashkov."

Ibrahim smiled. "That's a beautiful name," he commented. "I'm happy for you two and I know you'll be great parents."

It was at that point that my water broke.


	11. Outtake 2

**Outtake #2**

 **I do not have a Beta reader so any mistakes that you see are my own.**

 **Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy and all its characters.**

* * *

 **Rose POV**

I was surprised when my mother called me, asking if I would like to have coffee with her. There was only one coffee shop in Court and like most other cafés and restaurants, they had outdoor seating with tarp hanging above to block out the sun.

I spotted my mother from a distance and made my way toward her. She was sitting at a table and had already gotten her coffee. She was taking a sip when I approached her.

"Hi, Janine," I said, flatly.

My mother looked up. "Hi, Rose." She didn't acknowledge the fact that I just called her by her first name.

I sat down in the chair across from her. When the waitress approached our table, I ordered a decaf.

"Thanks for coming to meet me," my mother said. "I honestly didn't think you'd come, given our strained relationship."

"I only came because I didn't want to hurt your feelings," I told her. "Also, because I could really use a break from my daughter."

My mother smiled weakly. "How is Adelina?"

"She's good," I said. "The first couple days were hard for us but we got through it. Adrian's with her right now, having father-daughter bonding time."

"That's good," my mother said.

Awkward silence fell between us as the waitress came by with my decaf, setting it down in front of me. I thanked her and she walked away. I placed my hands on the table, nervously playing with them. My mother was doing the same.

"I know I haven't been the best mother," she finally spoke. "But I want to repair our relationship and spend more time together."

I was taken aback by her words, but I didn't say anything. Instead, I wrapped my hands around my cup and lifted it to my lips, blowing on my coffee before taking a sip.

"Lord Szelsky has moved back here, permanently," my mother went on. "Which means I'll be around more. I'll still be busy with my guardian duties, but I'll have time for you and Adelina."

"I'd like that," I said, giving her a small smile. "But I just want you to know that my father will always be in my life and Addie's life as well. You have to respect that." My mother was not happy when I told her I wanted to get to know my father and start a relationship with him. Despite whatever terrible things Abe—that's what everyone called him—has done, he was still my father.

My mother pursed her lips. "Okay, fine. I guess I could do that." Immediately, she changed the subject. "So, how's Adrian doing? Is he being a good father to Adelina?"

I smiled. "He is. He changes her diaper, plays with her, rocks her to sleep, et cetera. He's even protective of her as much as I am of both of them. I would wake up in the morning to find he's not beside me, only to get out of bed and run down the hall to Addie's room to find him sleeping in the rocking chair by her crib."

"That's really sweet," my mother said. "So, are you back on guardian duty?"

"Not yet," I said, taking another sip of my coffee. "Eddie's still temporarily Adrian's guardian. I still have another month of maternity leave left."

"That's good," my mother nodded before giving me a sad look. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you were growing up. I know I should've at least sent letters and visited once in a while, but my duties as a guardian kept me away from doing all those things."

"You're here now," I told her. "And that's all that matters."

We spent the rest of our coffee date talking about other stuff. My mother was happy to hear that Adrian had enrolled in an art program at the University of Pennsylvania and was going to start in the fall. Because I had an infant to take care of, I couldn't be there to protect him, but he would still have two guardians who were going to pose as fellow university students to keep an eye on him. Instead of staying in the dorms, Adrian and the two guardians were going to be driving back and forth from Court to the university. Thankfully, it was only an hour drive.

When I got home that day, I was greeted by the squeals of my baby girl, who was sitting by the door, waiting for me.

"She didn't even want to play with her toys," Adrian told me after he greeted me with a hug and a kiss on the lips. "All she wanted was to sit there and wait for you to come home."

I picked up Addie and held her in my arms, peppering her face with kisses, making her squeal even louder. "Did you miss me, baby girl?" I cooed.

She just smiled at me before letting out a loud fart, giggling before laying her head on my shoulder and placing her thumb in her mouth, sucking on it.

"I take that as a yes," I said, both Adrian and I scrunching up our faces in disgust.

"That's disgusting," he said, trying not to gag. "So how was coffee with your mother?"

"It was good," I said as I walked over to the living room, Adrian following behind, to sit on the couch with Addie still in my arms as she continued to suck on her thumb. I tried to pull it away from her but she just screamed so I let go and her thumb went right back into her mouth. Adrian sat down beside me and turned to gaze at our daughter, who gazed back at him, smiling and laughing whenever he would make a funny face. I told him what happened.

"I think that's awesome that she wants to repair her relationship with you," Adrian said after I finished. "And she's going to be around more so you both have a lot of time to do just that."

"Yeah, but she doesn't want to forgive my father for what he did eighteen years ago," I said. "I mean, I forgave him. Why can't she?"

"I'm sure she has her reasons," Adrian said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Just be glad that she'll still be nice to him when he's around. Which is not that often."

We just sat there on the couch as Adrian continued to make our daughter laugh. After a while, I saw Addie's eyes were beginning to droop, meaning that it's time for her nap. I stood up and carried her to her nursery, gently placing her in her crib. I just stood there, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath she took as she slept. I did this a lot since we brought her home. Adrian said it was because I was a first-time mother and also a guardian, so it made sense to be protective of my baby girl. Even he's like that but only when she's around male babies, afraid they'll do something drastic like give Addie a kiss on the lips or something.

"I've been thinking," Adrian spoke when I returned to the living room and sat back down beside him on the couch. "You and I need to take a vacation. Just the two of us." He put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his side.

"May I ask why?" I turned to gaze up at my boyfriend, raising an eyebrow.

"Because while I love our Baby Dhampir very much, we need a break from her," Adrian told me.

I pursed my lips. "I don't know. Addie's still very little."

"No she's not," he stated. "She's getting so big now, she looks older than six months."

"But I'm still not ready to leave her," I said. "It's fine when it's only for a couple hours, but any more than six and I go crazy worrying about her."

"It's not like we're spending a week away from the little one," Adrian said. "It's just a couple days. Addie will be fine."

"But who will take care of her?" I asked.

"My mom of course," he said. "I already have it all planned out so you can't say no."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"Because it's the polite thing to do," Adrian said, flatly. "And I figured you'd say yes."

"Where are we going?" I inquired.

"That, Little Dhampir, is a surprise," he grinned, leaning down to place a kiss on my forehead. "You'll just have to wait and see."

My boyfriend was just full of surprises.


End file.
